Morning Jolt: Cost of raising a child goes up

Thursday

Aug 15, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 15, 2013 at 2:07 PM

A report by the Department of Agriculture says that the average cost of raising a child until age 18 (so not including college) in the U.S. is now $241,080 for a middle-income family. That number is up 3 percent from 2011 and 23 percent since 1960. Meanwhile, salaries are not commensurate with the increase, not surprisingly.

In the news

A report by the Department of Agriculture says that the average cost of raising a child until age 18 (so not including college) in the U.S. is now $241,080 for a middle-income family. That number is up 3 percent from 2011 and 23 percent since 1960. Meanwhile, salaries are not commensurate with the increase, not surprisingly.

Opening bell

The Dow Jones opened at 15,337.66 after finishing down 113.35 points Wednesday.